Jail.



No. 727,063. PATBNTED MAY 5, 1903.

0. W; BEGKER & w. e. -STUELPNAGEL.

JAIL.

APPLICATION rum) MAR. 15, 1902.

10 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 727,063. K PATENTED MAY 5 1903. o. W. BECKER & W. G. STUELPNAGEL.

JAIL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1902.

.10 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NITED STATES I Patented May 5, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO WV. BECKER AND WILLIAM G. STUELPNAGEL, OF MILWAUKEE, WIS- CONSIN; SAID STUELPNAGEL ASSIGNOR TO SAID BECKER.

JAIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,063, dated May 5, 1903.

Application filed March 15, 1902, Serial No. 98,301. (No model.)

Ta aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, OTTO W. BECKER and WILLIAM G. STUELPNAGEL, citizens of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Jails; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The improvements consist in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts hereinafter particularly set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed, the main object of the invention being to provide for automatic signaling when there is a fracture or cut of metal gratings or cell-door bolts in jails.

Figure 1 of the drawings herewith represents a partly-sectional front elevation of a jail-cell, the grating and sliding door-bolt of which are tubular and shown in comm unication with an elevated tank, from which they are charged with fluid under pressure, the degree of pressure being-determined by an ordinary pressure-gage, (also shown properly connected,) provision being had, in conjunc-' tion with the gage, for automatically signaling material decrease of pressure in the tubular system aforesaid. Figs. 2 and 3 represent detail section views, respectivelyindicated by lines 2 2 and 3 3 in the first figure;

and Fig. 4, a vertical section view of one of the hinges of the cell-door.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates the main stationary grating, and B the grated door, of a jail-cell, all this grating being metal tubing in sections united by suitable couplings, such as are common in water and steam fitting. As a matter of detaileach o door-hinge is a coupling, in which a vertical hollow closed end plug portion of one section 0 turns in a bulb portion of another hollow section D, the plug within the bulb being longitudinally slotted at intervals circumferentially thereof. The bulbsection of each hinge coupling has a depending annular flange b, that serves as a guard to prevent tampering with a nut 0, run on a screw-thread-. ed stem reduction 01 of the plug-section of said 5o coupling against a washer e within the confines of said flange. The plug-section of each 'said bolt, the outer end of this bolt being closed. The keeper for the bolt is a coupling I of the main or stationary grating, provided with an indenture, into which said bolt is shot when the door B is closed. A casing J is connected to door B to inclose the grating branch and stuffing-box in which the bolt E has play, and the front of the casing is provided with a hole 2' for admittance of a key engageable between wards j, projecting from I said bolt, considerable leverage being necessary to retract the bolt against resistance of spring H in opposition thereto.

All the tubular gratings, the hinges, and, the bolt aforesaid are intended to be kept full of fluid under pressure, and as one means to this end an elevated water-tank K is shown in pipe connection with the main grating.

A pressure-gage L is shown in cock-controlled pipe connection with the main grating aforesaid, and the indicator K of this gage constitutes a conductor that is put in electric connection with a battery M and an electric bellN or other electric signal in circuit with a contact-plug P, that has insulated engagement with any one of a series of apertures at intervals of a forwardly-projecting annular flange of the casing portion of said gage to be in the back path of said indicator. Hence in case of fracture or cut in the system containing fluid under pressure an electric circuit is closed to automatically operate the signal.

All the tubular metal Work of a jail may be in one system or a series of systems supplied with fluid under pressure and-provision had for automatically signaling when from any cause there is reduction of pressure less than a predetermined degree, the invention being especially designed to notify the officials of a jail in case any of the prisoners fracture or out said metal work in attempt to escape imprisonment. Steam kept at higher than a predetermined pressure (indicated by the arrangement of the plug P in connection with pressure-gage L) may be circulated in the system or systems of tubular metal work aforesaid to heat the jail, there being automatic signaling when from any cause there is suflicient decrease of pressure to permit 0on tact of the gage-indicator K with the noninsulated portion of said plug.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A jail having hollow-grating cell-doors in hollow-hinge connection with similar stationary grating and each door provided with a hollow slide-bolt open at its inner end, a spring arranged to resist retraction of the bolt, a casing on the door provided with a hole through which to insert a key engageable with said belt, a portion of the adjacent stationary grating provided with an indenture constituting a keeper for the closed outer end of the aforesaid bolt, means whereby the gratings are charged with fluid under pressure ordinarily maintained at greater than a predetermined degree, and other means for antomatically signaling reduction of pressure. In testimony that We claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

OTTO W. BECKER. WM. G. STUELPNAGEL.

Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, B. C. ROLOFF. 

